Autonomous driving vehicle that avoids natural disasters

Abstract

An autonomous driving vehicle provides a driverless transportation service for a user. An alarming phenomenon is a natural phenomenon that potentially causes a disaster. The autonomous driving vehicle recognizes, based on driving environment information, the alarming phenomenon at a current location of the autonomous driving vehicle or on a planned travel route from the current location to a destination. When recognizing the alarming phenomenon, the autonomous driving vehicle determines whether to continue or halt vehicle travel control in accordance with a current travel plan. When determining to halt the vehicle travel control in accordance with the current travel plan, the autonomous driving vehicle sets an emergency plan depending on a type of the alarming phenomenon and controls the autonomous driving vehicle in accordance with the emergency plan.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An autonomous driving vehicle that provides a driverless transportation service for a user, the autonomous driving vehicle comprising:
 a memory that stores different emergency vehicle control plans for different types of phenomena and driving environment information indicating a driving environment of the autonomous driving vehicle; and 
 a processor that controls travel of the autonomous driving vehicle based on the driving environment information, wherein the processor is configured to:
 perform phenomenon recognition processing that recognizes, based on the driving environment information, a phenomenon at a current location of the autonomous driving vehicle or on a planned travel route from the current location to a destination, the phenomenon being any of heavy rain, heavy snow, a flood, an earthquake, or a tsunami; 
 based on recognizing the phenomenon, determine whether to continue or halt vehicle travel control in accordance with a current travel plan that includes the planned travel route; 
 based on determining to halt the vehicle travel control in accordance with the current travel plan, select an emergency vehicle control plan, from among the stored different emergency vehicle control plans, based on a type of the recognized phenomenon; and 
 control the autonomous driving vehicle in accordance with the selected emergency vehicle control plan, wherein 
 a first emergency vehicle control plan includes determining, based on the driving environment information, a bypass route that bypasses the phenomenon to reach the destination, and making the autonomous driving vehicle travel along the bypass route, 
 a second emergency vehicle control plan includes determining, based on the driving environment information, an evacuation route that enables evacuation from the phenomenon, and making the autonomous driving vehicle travel along the evacuation route, 
 a third emergency vehicle control plan includes making the autonomous driving vehicle stop at the current location and unlocking a door after the autonomous driving vehicle stops, regardless of the destination, and 
 the processor is further configured to select any one of the first emergency vehicle control plan, the second emergency vehicle control plan, and the third emergency vehicle control plan as the emergency vehicle control plan based on the type of the recognized phenomenon. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The autonomous driving vehicle according to  claim 1 , further comprising: a sensor that detects a state of the autonomous driving vehicle or a situation around the autonomous driving vehicle, wherein
 the driving environment information includes at least one of:
 sensor detected information obtained from a detection result by the sensor, or 
 delivery information received from a server, wherein the delivery information indicates, for each area, information relating to an occurrence of the phenomenon, and the processor is further configured to: 
 communicate with the server, which transmits, to the processor, the delivery information, and 
 perform the phenomenon recognition processing by recognizing the phenomenon based on at least one of the sensor detected information or the delivery information. 
 
 
     
     
       3. The autonomous driving vehicle according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the phenomenon is the heavy rain, the heavy snow, or the flood on the planned travel route, and 
 the processor is further configured to:
 in the phenomenon recognition processing, recognize the heavy rain, the heavy snow, or the flood based on the delivery information, and 
 based on an alert level of the heavy rain, the heavy snow, or the flood being a certain level or higher:
 determine to halt the vehicle travel control in accordance with the current travel plan, and select the first emergency vehicle control plan as the emergency vehicle control plan. 
 
 
 
     
     
       4. The autonomous driving vehicle according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the phenomenon is the heavy rain, the heavy snow, or the flood at the current location, and 
 the processor is further configured to:
 in the phenomenon recognition processing, recognize the heavy rain, the heavy snow, or the flood based on at least one of the sensor detected information and the delivery information, and 
 based on an alert level of the heavy rain, the heavy snow, or the flood being a certain level or higher: determine to halt the vehicle travel control in accordance with the current travel plan, 
 and select the second emergency vehicle control plan as the emergency control plan. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The autonomous driving vehicle according to  claim 4 , wherein the second emergency vehicle control plan further includes making the autonomous driving vehicle stop at around the current location and unlocking a door after the autonomous driving vehicle stops, based on the autonomous driving vehicle being unable to evacuate from the heavy rain, the heavy snow, or the flood. 
     
     
       6. The autonomous driving vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 propose the emergency vehicle control plan to the user, and 
 control the autonomous driving vehicle in accordance with the emergency vehicle control plan based on the proposed emergency vehicle control plan being approved by the user. 
 
     
     
       7. The autonomous driving vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the memory further stores setting policy information indicating a predetermined policy for setting the emergency vehicle control plan that varies depending on the type of the phenomenon, and 
 the processor is further configured to, set the emergency vehicle control plan in accordance with the predetermined policy indicated by the setting policy information. 
 
     
     
       8. The autonomous driving vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein based on the phenomenon not being recognized, the processor is further configured to lock a door of the autonomous driving vehicle while carrying the user to the destination, and unlock the door of the autonomous driving vehicle after the autonomous driving vehicle arrives at the destination. 
     
     
       9. An autonomous driving vehicle that provides a driverless transportation service for a user, the autonomous driving vehicle comprising:
 a memory that stores driving environment information indicating a driving environment of the autonomous driving vehicle; and 
 a processor that controls travel of the autonomous driving vehicle based on the driving environment information, wherein the processor is configured to:
 recognize, based on the driving environment information, an earthquake at a current location of the autonomous driving vehicle or on a planned travel route from the current location to a destination; 
 based on the earthquake being recognized, determine whether to continue or halt vehicle travel control in accordance with a current travel plan that includes the planned travel route; and 
 based on determining to halt the vehicle travel control in accordance with the current travel plan, set an emergency plan based on the earthquake and control the autonomous driving vehicle in accordance with the set emergency plan, wherein the processor is further configured to:
 based on a seismic intensity of the earthquake at the current location being a certain level or higher:
 determine to halt the vehicle travel control in accordance with the current travel plan, and 
 set, as the emergency plan, a vehicle control plan that includes making the autonomous driving vehicle stop at the current location and unlocking a door after the autonomous driving vehicle stops, regardless of the destination. 
 
 
 
 
     
     
       10. An autonomous driving vehicle that provides a driverless transportation service for a user, the autonomous driving vehicle comprising:
 a memory that stores driving environment information indicating a driving environment of the autonomous driving vehicle; and 
 a processor that controls travel of the autonomous driving vehicle based on the driving environment information, wherein the processor is configured to:
 recognize, based on the driving environment information, a tsunami at a current location of the autonomous driving vehicle or on a planned travel route from the current location to a destination; 
 based on the tsunami being recognized, determine whether to continue or halt vehicle travel control in accordance with a current travel plan that includes the planned travel route; and 
 based on determining to halt the vehicle travel control in accordance with the current travel plan, set an emergency plan based on the tsunami and control the autonomous driving vehicle in accordance with the set emergency plan, wherein the processor is further configured to:
 based on an expected area of the tsunami covering the current location or the planned travel route:
 determine to halt the vehicle travel control in accordance with the current travel plan, and 
 set, as the emergency plan, a vehicle control plan that includes making the autonomous driving vehicle stop at the current location and unlocking a door after the autonomous driving vehicle stops, regardless of the destination.